Aryna Sabalenka rallied in the second set to beat China’s Qinwen Zheng 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday.
Sabalenka, the top seed and World No. 1, went 7 of 12 on break points to secure a spot in the Miami semifinals for the first time.
She will play Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who beat Magda Linette of Poland 6-3, 6-2 in a match that was delayed three hours because of weather.
Sabalenka rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the second set against Zheng, the tournament’s ninth seed. Sabalenka won 29 of 35 second serves from Zheng on the way to improving her career record vs. Zheng to 6-0.
“Honestly every match is tough against her. I always have to work really hard to get the win, and today was an incredible level from both of us,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super happy to get this win. I’m super happy with the way I handled all the emotions and handled the pressure.”
Paolini, who was in the finals at Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, became the first Italian to reach the semifinals in Miami. She had lost in the Round of 16 in all three WTA 1000 events this season.
“I think I didn’t play bad this season. I just didn’t have a great result,” she said. “I lost many matches but to big opponents. … Maybe I just needed a little more confidence and it came here maybe.”
–Field Level Media
